Running from March 6-9, University of Alberta students from across
campus stage the first-ever campus musical.
At the core of Young Frankenstein, a zany doctor brings a monster to life. At the
University of Alberta, with far less terror and far more tap-dancing, a group
of committed undergraduates have done the same with the elusive campus musical.
The new initiative, which spent more
than a year on the Students’ Union’s shelf, was reincarnated this past fall by
Saadiq Sumar, VP (Student Life). Working with the SU’s desire to expand their
event programming, Sumar procured funds, obtained rights and hired students to
direct and choreograph Young
Frankenstein, which runs for four nights this week.
Adapted from the black-and-white cult
classic film by Mel Brooks, the wacky monster musical introduces the world to
Frederick Frankenstein. Despite the fact that the infamous mad scientist is his
grandfather, Frederick insists on disassociating himself from his heritage –
it’s Fronk-en-steen, thank you very much. When word of the deranged doctor’s
death reaches Frederick though, the med-school professor sets out for the place
where it all began: the ever-eerie Transylvania. When he discovers his
grandfather’s “How I Did It” book, his misgivings about his bloodline quickly
dissolve and soon, he’s enlisted Igor (that’s pronounced Eye-Gore), Inga, the
voluptuous lab assistant, and the raunchy housemaid, Frau to help him make a
monster.
Wading through the coat racks of lab
coats and pirouetting students in the transformed Dinwoodie Lounge, I met with
director Luay Eljamal and actress Becky Collins to learn more about the
production. As a supporter of campus arts and culture, a musical that involves
students from various faculties is an exciting prospect. Though I acted in high
school, I always lacked the courage to audition for Drama student productions
and according to Eljamal, this is a pretty common attitude on campus. As a
result, giving students from all backgrounds the oppourtunity to get involved
became a big part of how Young
Frankenstein was put together.
“I’m an advocate for bringing all
faculties together with the arts, because there’s definitely a separation.”
Eljamal says, “This production is a great way to see that there are students in
engineering for example, who still love getting involved in the arts even
though they don’t want to pursue it as a career.”
The students who perform, as well as those
working backstage on Young Frankenstein,
come from across campus: sociology, psychology, science, engineering and even
medicine. Performers in the show sing, act and even tap dance along to quirky
songs like “Welcome to Transylvania” and “Join the Family Business.”
For actress Becky
Collins, performing on stage wasn’t a new thing – her education degree is
focused in drama. A campus musical, however, was something out of the ordinary
and like many of her costars, she couldn’t pass up the chance to get involved.
“I hadn’t done a show in a really long
time,” Collins, who plays the eccentric housemaid Frau Blucher, says, “I moved
out of my house to come to university and have been paying my own way, so with
shows it’s tough because they take up so much of your life. But musicals are my
passion, and when I saw the posters around campus I decided to audition.”
The choice to produce Young Frankenstein as the campus
musical’s inaugural production was born out of its accessibility. As a farce of the original novel, which many students will have read
in first year English class, the musical offers light-hearted entertainment
through raunchy and corny comedy. According to Eljamal, they modernized some of
the jokes from the original, but kept with tradition of puns and bawdy
innuendos expected from Mel Brooks, who’s known for his farcical films like
Space Balls and Blazing Saddles.
“We chose it because it’s a comedy, and it
works great in a dinner theatre setting.” Eljamal says, “It’s great for
students as well, because not everyone wants to see something serious, it’s
nice to be able to relax and soak it in, instead of having to analyze
everything.”
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